Communities Across WA Host Week Without Driving to Highlight the Needs of Nondrivers
Washington State, September 29 to October 5, 2025 — Imagine your life without driving. Could you navigate your daily routines, reach your workplace, doctor’s office, or connect with loved ones? This year, community organizations, public officials and transit agencies across Washington State are planning walk/roll events, transit bingo and bus ride-alongs, speaking events, proclamations and even bench installations as part of this year’s celebration of the Week Without Driving.
In 2021, disabled advocates at Disability Rights Washington launched the Week Without Driving [1] to increase the visibility of nondrivers. Now in its fifth year, Week Without Driving will take place from September 29 to October 5 and has grown to include more than five hundred co-hosting organizations across all fifty US states, Canada and Australia.
Week Without Driving has helped advocacy organizations and elected leaders broaden [2] coalitions and push for policies that support access for nondrivers across both rural and urban communities — and everywhere in between.
Why the Week Without Driving?
Thirty percent of Washington residents are nondrivers — disabled people who can’t drive, people who can’t afford a vehicle or gas, have suspended licenses or lack documentation to get a license, people who are too young to drive, choose not to drive or who have aged out of driving.
But nondrivers are largely invisible — more often measured in absences. Nondrivers are the people who didn’t make it out from wildfires or flash floods, who missed doctors or court appointments because the bus never showed up. Nondrivers are the parents that couldn’t get to the school play and the kid who couldn’t sign up for the soccer team because there just wasn’t a good way to get there.
The Week Without Driving provides a model for organizing for change — a model that starts with acknowledging there are already people who lack access to driving in every community and by listening to the needs of nondrivers together we can build healthier, less divided communities where everyone can get where they need to go.
Support for Week Without Driving
Week Without Driving wouldn’t be possible without our allies and partners. Amazon, a strong advocate of public transportation throughout the Puget Sound region, has supported Week Without Driving for four years with funding that has allowed the initiative to develop and expand outside of Washington State. We’re also grateful to ongoing support from the Seattle Foundation and our 2025 Week Without Driving sponsors: King County Metro, Sound Transit, PRR and Veo and appreciate their unwavering commitment to ensuring everyone has the freedom to move.
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Washington State Week Without Driving 2025
Bellingham
- Walk and Roll Bellingham and Whatcom SmartTrips are organizing a kickoff event [3] with Greg Spotts (September 29), a transit ride-along with WTA board / AIROW Project (September 18), a ride along with WTA/Max Higbee Center [4] (October 3), as well as a walk audit and “Subdued Saunter” [5] — 20 mile walk (October 4).
King and Pierce Counties
- Disability Rights Washington is coordinating with Pierce Transit and King County Metro to invite King and Pierce County Councilmembers to join paratransit riders for paratransit ride-alongs in both communities.
Kirkland
- Advocates staffed a WWD booth at City Hall for All event and the City of Kirkland will be promoting WWD in four weekly newsletters, which have a large citywide distribution.
Olympia
- Olympians for People Oriented Places is organizing a Walk Audit Saturday, October 4, RSVP [6].
Redmond
- MoveRedmond is organizing transit bingo and hosting a Walk & Talk from the Redmond Senior and Community Center to the Downtown Redmond Light Rail Station October 2, RSVP [7].
Spokane
- Spokane Reimagined is collaborating with local artists to build and paint 29 bus benches (one for each neighborhood) for communities to enjoy during the week. Spokane Reimagined also has two talks planned with Gonzaga University professors, one on the transit history of Spokane and one on bike commuting in Spokane which will also touch on health and environmental impacts.
Tacoma
- Downtown on the Go is organizing a Parkland Walk Audit. Details TBA.
Thurston County
- Thurston Regional Planning Council is partnering with the cities of Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and Yelm to host walking tours in each community. Lacey’s event will take place on Sept. 29, Tumwater’s event is on September 30, Yelm’s event is on October 1, and Olympia’s event is on October 2.
Vancouver/Portland
Walla Walla
- Walla Walla/Columbia County Accessible Communities Advisory Committee is organizing a Walkabout [9], September 30.
Statewide
- Transit Trekker Webinar Miniseries — with leaders and nondrivers from rural WA Wednesday, September 17, 12-1:30: Register [10]
- All Aboard WA is coordinating a public awareness campaign about transit options connecting to Amtrak stations across the state.
- Transportation Choices Coalition is coordinating a social media campaign featuring reflections from elected officials who go without driving.
Week Without Driving proclamations:
- Carnation, College Place, Dayton, Kirkland, Snoqualmie, Seattle, North Bend, Olympia, Snoqualmie, Walla Walla, Piece, King, Columbia and Kitsap Counties and Washington State.
Community Partners
| AIROW Project All Aboard WA Community in Motion Disability Rights Washington Downtown on the Go Eastrail Partners Evergreen Health Kitsap County Accessible Communities Advisory Committee Liveable Kirkland Max Higbee Center MoveRedmond Olympians for People Oriented Places | Snoqualmie Valley Mobility Coalition SnoTrac Spokane Reimagined Thurston Regional Planning Council Transit Trekker Transit Riders Unite Transportation Choices Coalition Walk and Roll Bellingham Walla Walla/Columbia County Accessible Communities Advisory Committee Whatcom SmartTrips |